Fallen
by Tahiri Solo
Summary: A short little story that takes place directly after Trouble on Cloud City, when they're exploring . . .


Fallen  
By Tahiri Solo  
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Disclaimer: All the characters, places, and such mentioned in this fic are the property of Lucasfilm. I own nothing and am in no way getting paid for this story. Also, if this bears any resemblance to stories written by others, that is purely coincidental. No infringement is intended.  
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A/N: Sorry if this is kind of stupid, I just wrote it on whim.   
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After hours of exploring, the five teens retired to their favorite spot by the Great River. As if by unspoken agreement, they quickly peeled off their clothes and dived into the water.   
  
Jaina floated lazily on her back, her eyes closed and looking completely relaxed. Zekk floated next to her, and Jacen could swear he saw them holding hands underneath the water.   
  
He rolled his eyes - and suddenly felt water splash up from behind him, hitting him in the back of the head. Jacen turned to find Tenel Ka behind him, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. He grinned and splashed her in retaliation. She returned it, and soon they were engaged in a water fight that eventually reached the other young Jedi.  
  
"Hey!" Jaina yelped as water hit her directly in the face. "Cut it out!" Annoyed, she swam over to her brother and hit him on the shoulder. In going over there, however, she made herself a target for the drenching battle. It was only moments before her look of agitation was replaced by a grin and she began splashing her twin and friend in return.  
  
Zekk watched her with a smile, and Lowie, watching from the bank, growled a suggestion.  
  
"Great idea!" Jaina said, her grin widening. She swam back over to Zekk. "Let me up on your shoulders. We're having a real water fight."  
  
Expecting him to bend down so that she could climb on his shoulders herself, Jaina was surprised when Zekk simply lifted her by the waist. A moment later, she was settled on top of his shoulders. Jaina giggled. "Thanks."  
  
Tenel Ka was on Jacen's shoulders, and the two young women began to furiously throw water at each other. Even using the Force, neither could unseat the other.   
  
Finally, both laughing, they called a truce. Jaina and Tenel Ka got down, all four of them climbing out of the water, and Jacen was astounded to find Tenel Ka still laughing. He was certain it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. He had to turn away as an intense desire rose in him to simply draw her into his arms and hold her close enough so she could feel his heart beating. If only he had the courage to tell her . . .   
  
When he forced himself to turn away from the warrior girl, Jacen saw his sister and Zekk both wringing out their hair, and he noticed that only a period of mere seconds went by before one of them glanced over at the other.   
  
Jacen rolled his eyes again, and his mouth was open to tease them, but he quickly shut it, realizing that he had stared at Tenel Ka the exact same way many times himself.   
  
"That was certainly enjoyable," Tenel Ka remarked, and Jacen turned back around to find her laying on her back in the soft grass. Her long red hair was spread around her head like a halo to dry in the sun, and her eyes were closed, with a slight smile playing across her lips.   
  
"This is a fact," Jacen replied playfully, and her grin broadened.  
  
Meanwhile, Jaina and Zekk were busy with tugging their clothes back on.  
  
"Hey, Zekk," Jaina said, looking over her shoulder at him as she zipped up her jumpsuit, "do you want to go and work on the Lightning Rod's engines? I'm in the mood to do something mechanical."  
  
Zekk grinned and winked playfully at her. "Jaina, you're always in the mood to do something mechanical."  
  
"Luckily for you," she shot back good-naturedly, a grin playing across her own features. "I'm probably the best mechanic on this entire moon," she joked.   
  
"Along with me, of course," he teased.  
  
Jaina laughed. "Of course."  
  
"But out of all the mechanics here, and out of the ones on Coruscant, you're undoubtedly the prettiest one I've ever seen," Zekk told her softly.  
  
Jaina blushed at the compliment. "Thanks." Then, to hide her blush, she turned back to her brother, who looked amused at their banter. "Jacen, Zekk and I are going back to the Great Temple to work on the Lightning Rod."  
  
"I know, I know. I heard." He waved them off. "Have fun." He paused. "But then again, I'm sure you will." He smirked.  
  
Jaina blushed harder, and she made a face at her twin. When she turned back to Zekk a moment later, he put his arm around her shoulders, and she smiled up at him. Then the two young Jedi headed back to the Great Temple.  
  
Tenel Ka watched them go. "Were they always this close?" she asked Jacen from where she still lay on the grass.  
  
"They've been best friends ever since they first met, and that was about seven years ago," he answered. "It was only recently that they started becoming . . . closer in another way. Hot for each other, as I've heard it put," he said with a grin, his voice teasing.  
  
Tenel Ka smiled again at his words, though slightly, and Jacen's eyebrows rose. "Okay. Who are you, and what have you done with the real Tenel Ka?"  
  
"It's me. You've just been a bad influence."  
  
Jacen chuckled. "My life is now complete."  
  
Lowie, sitting nearby, groaned at their words. He growled a short phrase and gestured with one furry arm, indicating that he was going back to the Great Temple as well.  
  
Jacen nodded. "See you later, Lowie."  
  
Lowie growled his own farewell and then loped off back in the direction of the academy. Jacen watched him go, then lay down in the grass next to his red-haired friend. He stretched his arms out behind him and was about to bring them back to rest his head on when Tenel Ka suddenly shocked him by moving over and laying in the crook of his right arm. Jacen's surprise, however, was soon lost in simple happiness at the rare opportunity of having her so close, and he hugged her around the shoulders with the arm she lay nestled in. Tenel Ka's soft, almost inaudible sigh of contentment did not escape his notice, and he smiled.  
  
Even though he knew this was likely just a part of their close friendship, Jacen couldn't deny that he was enjoying having her lay next to him, enveloped in his arm. There was just something about Tenel Ka - her spirit, perhaps - that had captured his heart since the moment they had first met, two years before. He couldn't explain it, but his attraction to her was undeniable and incredibly strong. The two shared a very strong bond through the Force and could tell each other almost anything - except Jacen couldn't bring himself to admit his feelings for her. He was too afraid of losing his best friend if she did not share his feelings.   
  
Jacen's thoughts were interrupted by Tenel Ka's soft voice. "Our vacation with Lando Calrission had its enjoyable moments, but I am still glad to be back on Yavin 4."  
  
"Me too." Jacen's voice was wry. "Cloud City certainly wasn't the best vacation I've ever been on."  
  
Tenel Ka nestled closer to him and closed her eyes. "This is a fact. But we're back now - we all are - and that's all that matters."  
  
He heard what she left unsaid - her relief and gratitude that he had been rescued from his long fall off Cloud City by M'kim the thranta rider. Jacen remembered vividly his shock in the Cloud City docking bay when Tenel Ka had unexpectedly launched herself towards him and nearly tackled him. He realized from her actions that she must have been more distraught at his "death" them she let on.   
  
Jacen began tentatively stroking her hair, sensing her distress at the memories and hoping to comfort her.   
  
If she was offended, it certainly didn't show. Jacen knew her well enough to realize that if his action was unwanted, she would likely have slapped him across the face. Instead, she merely sighed again and curled her one good arm around him. For several long moments, neither said a word, simply content with each other.   
  
Finally, Jacen reluctantly broke the silence, saying, "You know, we'd probably better be going back to the academy soon. It's getting late."  
  
What he said was true - dusk was rapidly approaching - but still Tenel Ka did not move from his side.   
  
The two young Jedi ended up not moving, staying in each other's arms and talking, until the sky began to grow dark.   
  
Jacen eventually spoke up, though reluctantly. "It really is starting to get late. We need to get back before it gets dark and they send someone out to look for us."  
  
But Tenel Ka didn't reply, and as Jacen turned his head to look at her, he realized she had fallen asleep. Smiling to himself, Jacen decided not to wake her - Tenel Ka looked so peaceful. Moving slowly so as not to disturb her, Jacen carefully twisted his arm underneath her and knelt, sliding his other arm under her knees. He gently picked her up, and, cradling her in his arms, began the walk back to the Great Temple.   
  
When he reached the ancient ziggurat, with the warrior girl still asleep in his arms, he carried her up to her quarters. Reaching them, he gently deposited Tenel Ka on her bed and smoothed her red-gold hair away from her face.  
  
For several long moments, Jacen could not bring himself to leave her side, and simply stood there, watching her sleep. Her beauty captivated him, rendering him unable to take his eyes off her. His hand moved from her hair to gently stroke her smooth cheek. She still didn't stir, but sighed softly in her sleep at his touch.   
  
Hesitantly, and almost against his own will, Jacen moved closer to her. Before he even realized what was happening, his lips had brushed every so gently against hers.   
  
Jacen quickly pulled back, shocked at himself. What had he just done? He hurriedly stood up and walked out of his friend's room, not daring to look back at her. How could he have done that? She was his best friend! You weren't supposed to kiss your best friend! Mentally kicking himself, Jacen shut the door silently behind him and headed to his own quarters, where hopefully he could figure out what he had just done and why.   
  
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When she sensed Jacen leave, Tenel Ka allowed her eyelids to flutter open and a smile to grace her lips. Jacen had kissed her! It had been all she could do not to kiss him back, but she hadn't wanted him to know that she was actually awake - and that she returned his feelings.   
  
Shyness was not an emotion that a Dathomiri warrior was accustomed to feeling, but it was certainly rendering Tenel Ka helpless to tell her best friend that she had feelings for him past friendship. True, she had kissed him on another occasion, but had quickly turned her actions into a joke as she realized what she had just done. As far as she knew, Jacen thought of that incident as a joke, and nothing more.   
  
Tenel Ka sighed, remembering her grief when she had believed Jacen dead on Cloud City. Never, in her entire life, had she felt such intense grief. It was then that she understood what she hadn't realized in all the months she had known Jacen.  
  
She had fallen in love with him.  
  
Sighing again, Tenel Ka rolled over on her side, her last thoughts before drifting to sleep of her newfound love. 


End file.
